about
Reading & collecting books has been a saving-grace for me over the years whilst battling an autoimmune joint disease
Nothing beats that feeling of settling down, away from your phone or the tv and just enjoying that escape in to another world, cuppa in one hand, book in the other.
One day I discovered ‘Blind Date with a Book’ and I loved the intrigue and mystery of buying a book without knowing what it would be, coupled with a snack to cosy up with. Last year as we approached Christmas I really wanted to take part in the Icelandic tradition Jólabókaflóðið, where you exchange books on Christmas Eve with a loved one and eat chocolate!
I wanted everybody to know about this so I thought it would be so much fun to combine the two and sell little mystery book parcels at some local festive events — Promoting much needed time-out from the busy stresses of life became our mission and let me tell you, we are having the best time!
I already owned an online print shop so I had lots of ideas of things I could include to create the ultimate bookish experience. We quickly found some local markets & a book supplier and got to work wrapping all of these brilliant books, writing enticing clues and designing, printing & sourcing all of the included treats such as bookmarks, stickers & snacks to go with them. I will be studying for my illustration degree in September with a keen interest in textiles & surface pattern so designing wrapping papers for the books has been so much fun.
We had our first market and loved spreading some festive magic but more than that, we really enjoyed connecting with so many other book lovers. It was all so well received that we decided to carry on into the new year and have continued working lots of local Norwich events.
I could never have done this alone… We’ve been a family-run operation from the start, with my husband right by my side, our son & daughter accompanying us to busier events and my mum helping us with wrapping all of the books!
Lea xo
jólabókaflóðið (pronounced Yo-la-bok-a-flothe, translated as ‘Yule Book Flood’) is an Icelandic tradition that involves exchanging books to be read together at Christmas & dates back to post-World War II when rations on imported goods made it hard to buy gifts at Christmas. The one imported product that was readily available was paper & as a result books became the nation’s default gift purchase which they still are more than half a century later. While this tradition may vary slightly from home to home, most Icelanders unwrap & read their book on Christmas Eve, cosied up along with a sweet treat!